Monday, June 16, 2003		Newsscape

Here comes BugBear.B

The US government has warned financial institutions about a virus-like infection that has targeted computers at roughly 1,200 banks worldwide, trying to steal corporate passwords. The FBI is investigating what private security experts believe to be the first Internet attack aimed primarily at a single economic sector. Virus experts studying the blueprints for the latest threat to Internet users were astonished to find inside the software code a list of roughly 1,200 Web addresses for many of the world’s largest financial institutions, including J.P Morgan Chase & Co., American Express Co., Wachovia Corp, Bank of America Corp And Citibank N.A. The destructive infection, known as "BugBear.B," has spread to tens of thousands of consumer computers across the Internet since last week, but investigators and industry experts say they were unaware if any financial institutions had been significantly affected.

Patriotic hacker

Federal prosecutors have charged a Web designer with intercepting e-mail and content from Arab TV satellite station Al-Jazeera’s Internet site and rerouting it for two days to "Let Freedom Ring" patriotic page he devised. John William Racine II, also known as John Buffo, was charged with one count each of unlawful interception of an electronic communication and wire fraud. Racine, 24, is expected to plead guilty, a US attorney’s spokesman said. The prosecution’s filing did not state why he would take such action. Racine could not be located for comment.

Microsoft in idiot box

Microsoft Corp. today plans to unveil new software to help cable television companies develop digital TV programming and services. The software, called Microsoft TV Foundation Edition, is a new technological platform designed to run on the digital cable boxes that sit atop many television sets. The software, installed on both customers’ set-top boxes and on computer servers at cable companies, includes applications for cable operators to create and deliver on-screen TV guides, movies-on-demand, and interactive advertisements for their customers.

Thieves beware!

If your mobile phone is lost or stolen, do not panic because a new technology could become handy in relocating it even after the SIM card is replaced by a new one. Thanks to this new technology, C R Varma, station manager, Ahmedabad Railway Station, regained his mobile phone, which was stolen last week. Each mobile using the new technology has its own mobile equipment identification number (MEIN) which will not only connect the mobile user to his cellular operator but also transmit MEIN to the network. Varma registered his complaint to the Railway Police, Inspector Dilip Rathod, who immediately informed all cellular operators about the MEIN of Varma’s mobile. So when Rajendra Thakure (30) got connected with the stolen cellphone, the police managed to locate and book him.